Search

To enhance the safety of direct physical interaction between humans and lower-limb exoskeletons, the actuator of the lower-limb exoskeleton should possess compliance, force controllability, and back-drivability. In this paper, a novel compact compliant force control actuator with worm gear and gear rack as transmission modes is designed to provide flexible power to the lower-limb exoskeleton. The worm gear is utilized to amplify the torque generated by the motor in the compact compliant actuator, while the gear rack is established to improve the bearing capacity. Yet, the friction is occurred between the worm gear, rack and other mechanical configurations which may lead to non-negligible force control error of the compliant actuator. A noise-tolerant zeroing neural network controller is proposed to suppress noises. Additionally, theoretical proofs are provided for the convergence performance of the noise-tolerant zeroing neural network controller, as well as the suppression of constant noise, linear disturbances, and bounded random noise. The proposed noise-tolerant zeroing neural network controller is validated on the compliant actuator through numerical simulations, experimental results, and comparison experiments, demonstrating its effectiveness in suppressing various noise and improving the convergence, stability, and robustness of the compliant actuator system. Additionally, the controller is further verified through walking experiments conducted on a knee robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the characteristics of the mitochondrial genome sequence of Pratt's leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros pratti Thomas 1891) and understand their phylogenetic status in Chiroptera, this study determined the mitochondrial genome sequences of H. pratti from five regions in China using high-throughput sequencing technology, sequence assembly, and genome annotation. The results showed that these sequences contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 non-coding region, all exhibiting a significant AT bias. Based on the phylogenetic tree constructed using 13 protein-coding genes from 15 Chiroptera species, the study found that H. pratti from the five regions clustered together, and then clustered with H. lylei into a single clade. Meanwhile, H. pratti from Jiangxi, Fujian, and Guangdong regions of China showed closer genetic relationships, while H. pratti from Yunnan and Henan regions of China exhibited closer genetic relationships. This study not only supplemented the mitochondrial genome database of H. pratti but also laid a foundation for genetic variation, molecular classification, and evolutionary studies of H. pratti. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: the feasibility of the capacitance method for detecting the water content in standing tree trunks was investigated using capacitance-based equipment that was designed for measuring the water content of standing tree trunks. Methods: In laboratory experiments, the best insertion depth of the probe for standing wood was determined by measurement experiments conducted at various depths. The bark was to be peeled when specimens and standing wood were being measured. The actual water content of the test object was obtained by specimens being weighed and the standing wood being weighed after the wood core was extracted. Results: A forecast of the moisture content of standing wood within a range of 0 to 180% was achieved by the measuring instrument. The feasibility of the device for basswood and fir trees is preliminarily studied. When compared to the drying method, the average error of the test results was found to be less than 8%, with basswood at 7.75%, and fir at 7.35%. Conclusions: It was concluded that the measuring instrument has a wide measuring range and is suitable for measuring wood with low moisture content, as well as standing timber with high moisture content. The measuring instrument, being small in size, easy to carry, and capable of switching modes, is considered to have a good application prospect in the field of forest precision monitoring and quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve sustainable desalination and water purification, solar interface evaporation technology is an effective means due to its high energy efficiency. Reasonable photothermal conversion materials and surface design are crucial for the interfacial solar evaporation process. How to design water transport routes and thermal insulating layers simultaneously is one of the major challenges to solar interface evaporation technology today. Herein, this work reports an arch-shaped wood evaporator (pine@carbon black (CB)-metal-organic framework-801 (MOF-801)-36%) for efficient, fast and continuous interfacial solar evaporation, which is composed of an arch-shaped wood substrate, MOF-801, and CB as a light absorption layer. The arch-shaped structure has a double-sided evaporation effect, which has a synergistic effect on augmenting solar evaporation efficiency. In addition, the in-situ growth of MOF-801 in pretreated wood microchannels renders the wood evaporator a significant function of reducing the equivalent enthalpy of evaporation due to the reduction of the hydrogen bonding density of water molecules as they pass through the wood channels. The best evaporation rate of the arch-shaped wood evaporator can reach 2.535 kg·m−2·h−1, and the efficiency reaches 93.7% under the irradiation of 1 sun illumination. Notably, it could be used for desalination and wastewater treatment to collect fresh water that meets drinking requirements set by the World Health Organization (WHO). This integrated evaporator provides an efficient way for commercial portable photothermal conversion and new ideas for advanced solar-driven water treatment technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the second most abundant metal in the Earth's core, nickel plays an important role in determining the structure and temperature of the Earth's core. Yet, the melt line of Ni at pressures corresponding to the Earth's core has not been explored in the literature. Many previous experimental and simulation efforts have reported the melting point of Ni at pressures below 100 GPa, but there exist large discrepancies, most of which have persisted due to various experimental and simulation bottlenecks in handling extreme pressure and temperature conditions. We adopted the generalized embedded atom method, which overcomes the limitations of existing interatomic potentials, to probe phase stability and phase boundaries of Ni at pressures between 50 and 500 GPa. The potential was validated by comparing the cold curves, phonon dispersion curves, and enthalpies of fusion with ab initio density functional theory calculations. Our analysis shows that face centered cubic (FCC) is stable, and the hexagonal close packed (HCP) and body centered cubic (BCC) phases are metastable close to the melt line. Melting temperatures at different pressures were obtained from two-phase co-existence simulations and take the following functional form: T m = 1969.23 + 19.15 P − 0.012 P 2 . In contrast to iron, differences between the melting points of the stable and metastable phases of Ni are less than 250 K at 300 GPa, and the difference in melting points of the metastable BCC and HCP phases changes sign at 500 GPa, which implies that the phase transition mechanisms during solidification can be very complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seismic attributes of water‐rich sandstone contain much information about the rock's physical properties and seismic wave parameters. They are commonly used to predict the rock's physical properties (e.g. porosity). However, the seismic attributes of water‐rich sandstone are affected by porosity, water saturation and thickness. To eliminate the influence of thickness on the porosity prediction of water‐rich sandstone and improve the accuracy of the porosity prediction, the authors propose a Lambert W–R transform method to isolate the contribution of thickness and porosity from seismic attributes. First, a rock physical model is used to calculate the equivalent elastic parameters of water‐rich sandstones with different porosity values and water saturation levels. Second, the seismic attribute dataset of water‐rich sandstone is established by forward modelling the seismic response of the wedge‐shaped water‐rich sandstone model, and the selection of sensitive physical properties is completed. Then, the transformation parameters (ζAhRs and ηAhRs) are obtained by Lambert W–R transformation, which is exponentially related to instantaneous amplitude. ζAhRs and ηAhRs are sensitive to thickness and porosity, respectively. Finally, an interpretative template for porosity prediction of water‐rich sandstone is established by cross‐plot analysis (ζAhRs and ηAhRs) and verified by a practical case. The verification results show that the porosity predicted by the interpretation template is consistent with drilling fluid consumption. However, it is lower than the porosity of logging constrained P‐wave impedance inversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a primary diabetic complication ascribed to the pathological changes in renal microvessels. This study investigated the nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2)/Kelch ECH associating protein (Keap1)/antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling pathway impact of chitooligosaccharides (COS) with a certain degree of polymerization (DP) on DN mouse models and high glucose‐damaged human kidney 2 (HK‐2) cells. The findings indicated that COS effectively reduced the renal function indexes (uric acid [UA], urinary albumin excretion rate [UAER], urine albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio [UACR], blood urea nitrogen [BUN], and creatinine [Cre]) of DN mice. It increased (p <.05) the superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px), and catalase (CAT) antioxidant enzyme activity in the serum and kidneys, and decreased (p <.05) the malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The mechanistic investigation showed that COS significantly increased (p <.05) Nrf2 and downstream target gene (GCLM, GCLC, HO‐1, and NQO‐1) expression, and substantially decreased (p <.05) Keap1 expression. The protein level was consistent with the messenger RNA (mRNA) level in in vitro and in vivo models. The docking data indicated that COS and Keap1 protein binding included six hydrogen bond formation processes (Gly364, Arg415, Arg483, His436, Ser431, and Arg380). The COS intervention mechanism may be related to the Nrf2/Keap1/ARE antioxidant pathway. Therefore, it provides a scientific basis for COS application in developing special medical food for DN patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In view of discordance consisting in different reports, a meta-analysis was conducted to comprehensively evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of exosomal noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in blood and urine in the detection of bladder cancer. Methods: Eligible studies were acquired by systematic retrieval through PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase. The pooled diagnostic efficacy was appraised by reckoning the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve. The latent sources of heterogeneity were probed by subgroup analyses and meta-regression. STATA 12.0, Meta-DiSc 1.4, and RevMan 5.3 were applied to carry out all statistical analyses and plots. Results: A total of 46 studies from 15 articles comprising 2622 controls and 3015 bladder cancer patients were included in our meta-analysis. Exosomal ncRNAs in blood and urine represented relatively satisfactory diagnostic efficacy in detecting bladder cancer, with a pooled sensitivity of 0.75, a specificity of 0.79, and an area under the SROC curve (AUC) of 0.84. Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) exhibited better diagnostic value with a pooled AUC of 0.91 than that of exosomal long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). To some extent, the heterogeneity among studies was induced by exosomal ncRNA types (miRNA or lncRNA), exosomal ncRNA profiling (single- or multiple-ncRNA), sample size, specimen types, and ethnicity. Conclusion: Exosomal ncRNAs in blood and urine may play a vital role in diagnosing bladder cancer as prospective noninvasive biomarkers; nonetheless, their clinical performance needs to be confirmed by further massive proactive researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypertension and frailty often coexist in older people. The present study aimed to evaluate the association of frailty status with overall survival in elderly hypertensive patients, using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Methods: A total of 10,493 elderly hypertensive patients were included in the present study (median age 87.0 years, 58.3% male). Frailty status was assessed according to a 36-item frailty index (FI), which divides elderly individuals into four groups: robustness (FI ≤ 0.10), pre-frailty (0.10 < FI ≤ 0.20), mild-frailty (0.20 < FI ≤ 0.30), and moderate-severe frailty (FI > 0.30). The study outcome was overall survival time. Accelerated failure time model was used to evaluate the association of frailty status with overall survival. Results: During a period of 44,616.6 person-years of follow-up, 7327 (69.8%) participants died. The overall survival time was decreased with the deterioration of frailty status. With the robust group as reference, adjusted time ratios (TRs) were 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80–0.87) for the pre-frailty group, 0.68 (95% CI: 0.64–0.72) for the mild frailty group, and 0.52 (95% CI: 0.48–0.56) for the moderate-severe frailty group, respectively. In addition, restricted cubic spline analysis revealed a nearly linear relationship between FI and overall survival (p for non-linearity = 0.041), which indicated the overall survival time decreased by 17% with per standard deviation increase in FI (TR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.82–0.85). Stratified and sensitivity analyses suggested the robustness of the results. Conclusions: The overall survival time of elderly hypertensive patients decreased with the deterioration of frailty status. Given that frailty is a dynamic and even reversible process, early identification of frailty and active intervention may improve the prognosis of elderly hypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate calculation of the melting point of iron at various pressures in the Earth's core is important for understanding the core structure, geodynamo, and the Earth's history. Previous studies have assessed the melt line of iron at these extreme conditions using various experimental measurement techniques as well as both ab initio and classic molecular dynamics simulations. However, experimental measurements have uncertainties up to several hundred Kelvin, and inconsistencies remain among simulation results. In this work, we propose an iterative framework that couples density functional theory (DFT) calculations and molecular dynamics simulations performed using an ensemble of interatomic potentials to assess the effect of electronic temperature on the melting point. We systematically validate the potentials by comparing lattice constants and phonon dispersion curves at 0 K and enthalpy differences between liquid and HCP, FCC, BCC phases of iron close to the melt line at 300 GPa with DFT. Our results show that HCP iron melts at 6144 K (at 300 GPa), BCC phase is thermodynamically unstable, and FCC is metastable at this temperature. The melting points of FCC and BCC phases at 300 GPa are 5858 and 5647 K, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the regulating role and the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of trans-abscisic acid (hereinafter referred as S-ABA) in the process of rice growth and development under salt stress, we took Chaoyou 1000 and Yuxiangyouzhan as materials and set up three salt concentration treatments, CK0 (Control treatment), N1 (50 mmol L−1 NaCl), and N2 (100 mmol L−1 NaCl), in potted trials; we aimed to study the mechanism of rice's response to salt stress from the perspective of agricultural traits and physiological biochemicals and to improve rice's resistance to salt stress through exogenously applying the regulating technology of S-ABA. The following results were obtained: Under salt stress, the growth of rice was significantly suppressed compared to CK0, exhibiting notable increases in agricultural indicators, photosynthesis efficiency, and the NA+ content of leaves. However, we noted a significant decrease in the K+ content in the leaves, alongside a prominent increase in NA+/K+ and a big increase in MDA (malondialdehyde), H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide), and O2− (superoxide anion). This caused the cytomembrane permeability to deteriorate. By applying S-ABA under salt stress (in comparison with salt treatment), we promoted improvements in agronomic traits, enhanced photosynthesis, reduced the accumulation of NA+ in leaves, increased the K+ content and the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and reduced the active oxygen content, resulting in a sharp decrease in the impact of salt stress on rice's development. The application of S-ABA decreased the endogenous ABA (abscisic acid) content under salt stress treatment but increased the endogenous GA (gibberellin) and IAA (indole acetic acid) contents and maintained the hormonal homeostasis in rice plants. To summarize, salt stress causes damage to rice growth, and the exogenous application of S-ABA can activate the pouring system mechanism of rice, suppress the outbreak of active oxygen, and regulate NA+/K+ balance and hormone homeostasis in the blades, thus relieving the salt stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrazine is a kind of compound containing pyrazine ring structure, which has attracted the attention of researchers because of its special aroma and healthcare function. It is currently used in spices, pharmaceuticals, food additives, and other industries. Human serum albumin (HSA) is a transport and storage protein in the human circulatory system. Previous research reported that pyrazine can interact with albumin, but the interaction between pyrazine and HSA has not been reported. Consequently, this study is based on the multispectral method and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, exploring the interaction between different pyrazines and HSA. The results show that the four pyrazines mainly quench the endogenous fluorescence of HSA through the static quenching mechanism. Molecular docking indicates that hydrophobic forces play a major role in the binding of pyrazines with HSA. At the same time, synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy, and resonance light scattering (RLS) showed that each pyrazine compound can change the conformation of HSA. MD simulation results show that the combination of four pyrazines and HSA can enhance the stability of HSA. Among them, 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine (TTMP) and 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (TMTP) binding is the most stable and the most unstable combination with HSA, respectively. In addition, the four pyrazines could affect the physiological activity of HSA. This study is of great significance to explore the mechanism of action of pyrazine compounds in vivo and can provide useful information for the application of pyrazine compounds in food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medium-chain triglyceride ketogenic diet (MCTKD) is previously less commonly used in China. This study was aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of the modified MCTKD in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy in Chinese patients. Methods: Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy were enrolled to receive treatment with modified MCTKD in Guangdong Sanjiu Brain Hospital during December 2020 and September 2022. The modified MCTKD contained fat that provided 50–70% of the total energy, as well as proteins and carbohydrates that provided 20–30% and 20% of energy, respectively. The fat component was composed of 20–30% medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) and 30–40% long-chain triglycerides. The efficacy and safety of the diet were assessed at 1, 3 and 6 months. Results: A total of 123 patients aged 2.5 to 65 years, were included in this study. The response rates at 1, 3 and 6 months were 49.6%, 43.1%, and 30.9%, respectively. The seizure freedom rates at 1, 3 and 6 months were 12.2%, 10.6%, and 6.5%, respectively. The retention rates at 1, 3 and 6 months were 98.4%, 65.0% and 33.3% respectively. Side effects occurred in 21.14% of patients, which were predominantly gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and constipation, and most of them resolved after dietary adjustments. A total of 82 patients (66.7%) discontinued the treatment with the reason of refusing to eat (8.1%), poor efficacy (35.0%), poor compliance (4.9%), and inability to follow-up (9.8%). Only 4 patients (3.3%) withdrew the diet due to side effects. Conclusions: The modified MCTKD with MCTs providing 20–30% of energy has a good safety in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, but its effectiveness needs to be enhanced. Further modifications of MCTKD with an optimal energy ratio are required to achieve a better efficacy and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of dead seedlings can occur in saline soils, which seriously affects the large-scale cultivation of rice. This study investigated the effects of plant growth regulators (PGRs) and nitrogen application on seedling growth and salt tolerance (Oryza sativa L.), which is of great significance for agricultural production practices. A conventional rice variety, "Huang Huazhan", was selected for this study. Non-salt stress treatments included 0% NaCl (CK treatment), CK + 0.05 g N/pot (N treatment), CK + 40 mg·L−1 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) (A treatment), and CK + 30 mg·L−1 diethylaminoethyl acetate (DTA-6) (D treatment). Salt stress treatments included 0.3% NaCl (S treatment), N + 0.3% NaCl (NS treatment), A + 0.3% NaCl (AS treatment), and D + 0.3% NaCl (DS treatment). When 3 leaves and 1 heart emerged from the soil, plants were sprayed with DTA-6 and 5-ALA, followed by the application of 0.3% NaCl (w/w) to the soil after 24 h. Seedling morphology and photosynthetic indices, as well as carbohydrate metabolism and key enzyme activities, were determined for each treatment. Our results showed that N, A, and D treatments promoted seedling growth, photosynthesis, carbohydrate levels, and the activities of key enzymes involved in carbon metabolism when compared to the CK treatment. The A treatment had the most significant effect, with increases in aboveground dry weight and net photosynthetic rates (Pn) ranging from 17.74% to 41.02% and 3.61% to 32.60%, respectively. Stomatal limiting values (Ls) significantly decreased from 19.17% to 43.02%. Salt stress significantly inhibited seedling growth. NS, AS, and DS treatments alleviated the morphological and physiological damage of salt stress on seedlings when compared to the S treatment. The AS treatment was the most effective in improving seedling morphology, promoting photosynthesis, increasing carbohydrate levels, and key enzyme activities. After AS treatment, increases in aboveground dry weight, net photosynthetic rate, soluble sugar content, total sucrose synthase, and amylase activities were 17.50% to 50.79%, 11.39% to 98.10%, 20.20% to 80.85%, 21.21% to 33.53%, and 22.17% to 34.19%, respectively, when compared to the S treatment. In summary, foliar sprays of 5-ALA, DTA-6, and additional nitrogen fertilizer enhanced rice seedling growth, increased photosynthesis, lowered Ls values, and improved seedling salt tolerance. Spraying two regulators, 5-ALA and DTA-6, quantitatively increased the effect of nitrogen fertilizer, with comparable effects on NaCl stress regulation. This study provides the basis for efficient agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is a rare paraneoplastic neurological syndrome of the neuromuscular transmission. The symptoms often progress slowly and can be misdiagnosed in early stage. Seropositive SOX‐1 antibodies are support for the diagnosis of LEMS and have high specificity for small cell lung cancer (SCLC). In this paper, we report a case of a 56‐year‐old man with smoking history who was admitted to hospital with progressive muscle weakness of the proximal legs. LEMS was diagnosed by repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS) testing and seropositive SOX‐1 antibodies. Primary screening with chest computed tomography (CT) and integrated PET/CT did not reveal any tumor. After continuous follow‐up, SCLC was found by chest CT and confirmed with pathological examination 10 months after the diagnosis of LEMS. Long‐term follow‐up and screening for occult SCLC in LEMS patients with positive SOX‐1 antibodies are very important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: Rationally developing efficient and durable bifunctional catalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical for rechargeable zinc‐air batteries (ZABs). Herein, a bead‐like CoSe2@NC@NCNFs bifunctional catalyst was designed and fabricated by confining cubic CoSe2 nanoparticles to three‐dimensional (3D) porous MOFs‐derived nitrogen‐doped carbon (NC) and one‐dimensional (1D) N‐doped carbon nanofibers (NCNFs) through a facile encapsulate strategy. The 1D/3D continuous network structure contributes to the improvement of specific surface area and electronic conductivity, while the strong synergistic effect between CoSe2 sites and Co‐Nx‐C sites can effectively enhance electron/mass transfer and reduce the diffusion resistance. The as‐constructed CoSe2@NC@NCNFs catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity and stability toward ORR/OER with a high half‐wave potential of 0.80 V (vs. RHE) in ORR and a low overpotential of 280 mV at 10 mA·cm−2 in OER. More encouragingly, the rechargeable ZABs with CoSe2@NC@NCNFs cathode deliver high peak power densities (126.8 mW·cm−2), large specific capacities (763.1 mA·h·g−1), and robust charge‐discharge cycling stability over 240 cycles. This study provides a facile strategy for designing efficient bifunctional catalysts for rechargeable energy conversion applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unripe grapes are pruned waste fruits of wine farming, while black lemons are dried products of agriculture waste lemons from lime fields. These fruit wastes are a rich source of bioactive molecules, especially polyphenols that are beneficial metabolites for human health to reduce or inhibit the oxidative stress and can be utilized in foods or pharmaceuticals. Therefore, this project aimed to study the wasted sour fruits for their polyphenols, antioxidant activities, and to support their symbiotic utilization as therapeutic and pharmaceutical products. This research was completed with solvent extraction optimization of polyphonic extracts, their in-vitro antioxidant activities using four different assays, and characterization of polyphenols by LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS. Efficient extraction for phenolic compounds was obtained using 80% acidified methanol with 0.1% formic acid. Results found that black lemons had a higher total phenolic content (TPC 10.11 ± 0.47 mg GAE/g), assimilated to unripe grapes (8.75 ± 0.33 mg GAE/g). Moreover, black lemons were also found with higher antioxidant potential than unripe grapes, possibly due to the presence of higher flavonoids, especially anthocyanins. 124 phenolic metabolites, including 21 phenolic acids, 45 flavonoids, 8 isoflavonoids, 2 chalcones, 7 stilbenes, 15 lignans and 25 other compounds were identified using mass spectrometry. In conclusion, these results supported the utilization of these products in combination as therapeutical ingredients in the food, biomedicine, and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: OsNAC103 negatively regulates rice plant height by influencing the cell cycle and crosstalk of phytohormones. Plant height is an important characteristic of rice farming and is directly related to agricultural yield. Although there has been great progress in research on plant growth regulation, numerous genes remain to be elucidated. NAC transcription factors are widespread in plants and have a vital function in plant growth. Here, we observed that the overexpression of OsNAC103 resulted in a dwarf phenotype, whereas RNA interference (RNAi) plants and osnac103 mutants showed no significant difference. Further investigation revealed that the cell length did not change, indicating that the dwarfing of plants was caused by a decrease in cell number due to cell cycle arrest. The content of the bioactive cytokinin N6-Δ2-isopentenyladenine (iP) decreased as a result of the cytokinin synthesis gene being downregulated and the enhanced degradation of cytokinin oxidase. OsNAC103 overexpression also inhibited cell cycle progression and regulated the activity of the cell cyclin OsCYCP2;1 to arrest the cell cycle. We propose that OsNAC103 may further influence rice development and gibberellin–cytokinin crosstalk by regulating the Oryza sativa homeobox 71 (OSH71). Collectively, these results offer novel perspectives on the role of OsNAC103 in controlling plant architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since chronic alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a significant global health concern, several studies have shown that chitooligosaccharides (COS) exhibit hepatoprotective effects. This paper examined the COS protective effect on chronic ALD mice. Results showed that COS improved the lipid accumulation, liver injury, and oxidative stress levels in the mice while inhibiting cytochrome P450 protein 2E1 (CYP2E1) expression in the liver and promoting alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH1) expression, indicating that COS could ameliorate alcohol metabolism. Moreover, COS intervention also enhanced the antioxidant capacity of the liver and upregulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1), silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1), HO-1, and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) protein levels. In addition, COS increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX), acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member (ACSL), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT-1A), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 (CPT2) protein levels by upregulating the fatty acid β oxidation pathway and restoring mitochondrial genesis. From a liver-gut axis perspective, COS enhanced intestinal barrier function by increasing the adhesion junction (AJ) and intestinal tight junction (TJ) protein expression. Therefore, COS displayed a protective ability against chronic ALD. The results provide a theoretical basis for utilizing supplemental dietary COS as a functional food alternative for treating chronic ALD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amino alcohols are important compounds that are widely used in the polymer and pharmaceutical industry, particularly when used as chiral scaffolds in organic synthesis. The hydroxylation of polyamide polymers may allow crosslinking between molecular chains through the esterification reactions of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. Therefore, this may alter the functional properties of polyamide polymers. 2-hydroxycadaverine (2HyC), as a new type of chiral amino alcohol, has potential applications in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and polymer industries. Currently, 2HyC production has only been realized via pure enzyme catalysis or two-stage whole-cell biocatalysis, which faces great challenges for scale-up production. However, the use of a cell factory is very promising for the production of 2HyC in industrial applications. Here, we designed and constructed a promising artificial pathway in Escherichia coli for producing 2HyC from biomass-derived lysine. This biosynthesis route expands the lysine catabolism pathway and employs two enzymes to sequentially convert lysine into 2HyC. However, the catalytic activity of wild-type pyridoxal phosphate-dependent decarboxylase from Chitinophage pinensis (DCCp) toward 3-hydroxylysine is lower, resulting in the lower production of 2HyC. Thus, the higher catalytic activity of DCCp is desired for low-cost and expanded industrial applications of 2HyC. To improve the catalytic activity of DCCp, a mutant library of DCCp was first built using a semi-rational design. The Kcat/Km of mutant DCCp (R53D/V94I) increased by 63%. A titer of 359 mg/L 2HyC was produced in shake flasks, with a 2HyC titer increase of 54% compared to control strain ML101. The results show that the production of 2HyC was effectively increased through a semi-rational design strategy. These findings lay the foundation for the development and utilization of renewable resources to produce 2HyC in microorganisms via an efficient, green, and sustainable biosynthetic strategy for further industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the issue of surface enrichment of A-site ions in perovskite and the resulting suppression of catalytic activity, the La0.8Sr0.2Mn0.8Cu0.2O3 was modified by treatment with dilute nitric acid (2 mol/L) and dilute acetic acid (2 mol/L). The results show that the effect of dilute nitric acid treatment on the morphology and catalytic activity of the catalyst is more significant. The specific surface area of the catalyst after dilute nitric acid treatment (268.78 m2/g) is seven times higher than before treatment (37.55 m2/g). The low-temperature catalytic oxidation activity of HCHO of the catalyst after dilute nitric acid treatment is significantly improved, achieving a 50% HCHO oxidation efficiency at 80 °C, while the original sample requires 127 °C to achieve a 50% HCHO conversion. The excellent catalytic activity of the catalyst after dilute nitric acid treatment is related to its large specific surface area, high surface-active site density, and abundant Mn4+ ions. Stability and water resistance experiments show that the catalyst after dilute nitric acid treatment has excellent reaction stability and good water resistance ability. The mechanism of the formaldehyde oxidation reaction is that formaldehyde is first oxidized to a dioxymethylene (DOM) intermediate and DOM dehydrogenation reaction is responsible for the formation of formate species (HCOO-). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth traits are the economically important traits of sheep, and screening for genes related to growth and development is helpful for the genetic improvement of ovine growth traits. The fatty acid desaturase 3 (FADS3) is one of the important genes affecting the synthesis and accumulation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in animals. In this study, the expression levels of the FADS3 gene and polymorphism of the FADS3 gene associated with growth traits in Hu sheep were detected using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Sanger sequencing, and KAspar assay. The result showed that the expression levels of the FADS3 gene were widely expressed in all tissues, and the expression level of FADS3 in the lung was significantly higher than in other tissues (p <.05). Then, the polymorphism locus g. 2918 A > C was detected in intron 2 of the FADS3 gene, and associated analysis showed that the mutation in the FADS3 gene was associated significantly with growth traits (including body weight, body height, body length, and chest circumference, p <.05). Therefore, individuals with AA genotype showed significantly better growth traits than those with CC genotype, and FADS3 gene could be a candidate gene for improving growth traits in Hu sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a single nucleotide polymorphism of HTR4 (hydroxytryptamine receptor 4) was detected using DNA sequencing and KASPar (Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR) technique with the aim of analyzing its effect on growth traits in 1102 sheep. A synonymous mutation g.101220 C > T located on the fifth intron of the ovis HTR4 gene was detected, and association analysis showed that this mutation was significantly associated with growth traits in sheep (p ＜.05), with TT genotypes having significantly lower body weight, height, length and chest circumference than TC and CC genotypes. It showed that the polymorphism of this locus was significantly associated with growth traits in sheep. In addition, qRT-PCR results showed that HTR4 was expressed in different tissues of sheep. It is highly expressed in the liver, spleen and duodenum. As important metabolic, immune and digestive absorption organs in animals, the above tissues can regulate the excitability of intestinal smooth muscle by participating in the body metabolism and nutrient metabolism of sheep, so that sheep can show better growth characteristics. In conclusion, the polymorphic locus identified in HTR4 gene can be used as candidate molecular marker in sheep breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feed efficiency makes up a large part of sheep production, which also has a crucial impact on the economic benefits of producers. This study explores the polymorphism of Adenylyl cyclase 8 gene associated with feed efficiency and detects the expression characteristics of ADCY8 in ten tissues of Hu sheep. The polymorphism of ADCY8 was recognized by using PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing, KASPar technology was used for genotyping subsequently, and the relationship between SNP and RFI is also studied. The results indicated that an intronic mutation g.24799148 C > T (rs 423395741) was identified in ADCY8, and association analysis showed that the SNP g.24799148 C > T (rs 423395741) was significantly associated with RFI at 100–120, 100–140, 100–160, and 100–180 days (p < 0.05). The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) result showed that ADCY8 was expressed in ten tissues, and the expression of ADCY8 gene in rumen tissue was significantly higher than in the other tested tissues. Therefore, these results indicated that the ADCY8 mutation locus may be used as a candidate molecular marker for evaluating the feed efficiency of Hu sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth traits are important economic characteristics of livestock and poultry. In the present study, the expression features of KLF15 and the relationship between KLF15 gene polymorphisms and growth traits in Hu sheep were investigated by using real-time quantitative PCR technology (qPCR), Sanger sequencing, and Kaspar genotyping technology. The qPCR results showed that the KLF15 gene is expressed widely in the tested tissues of Hu sheep, and the expression level of the KLF15 gene in the heart and the muscle was significantly higher than in other tissues (p < 0.05). Missense mutation c.62565119 A > G was found in KLF15, and an association analysis showed that it was correlated with the growth traits (body weight, body height, and body length) of Hu sheep (p < 0.05). The body weight, body height, and body length of the sheep carrying the AA genotype were remarkably higher than those of the GG and AG genotypes (p < 0.05). These results showed that novel polymorphisms at the KLF15 gene can be used as a genetic marker of growth traits of Hu sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daqu is an important saccharifying starter in the fermentation of Nongxiangxing Baijiu in China. Vanillin is a health and flavor factor in Baijiu. However, only a few research studies on the vanillin content of Daqu are currently not systematic. In order to investigate the metabolic mechanism of vanillin in the fermentation process of Daqu, we analyzed the changes in microorganisms, influencing factors, and enzymes related to vanillin in Daqu. This research found that there were differences between bacterial and fungal genera in each sample, and the abundance of bacteria was greater than that of fungi. Among the microbial genera, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Acinetobacter, Saccharopolyspora, Aerococcus, and Puccinia were positively correlated with vanillin. Meanwhile, we also found that moisture and reducing sugar were the main physicochemical factors affecting the formation of vanillin. The functional annotation results indicate that carbohydrate metabolism and energy metabolism were important microbial metabolic pathways that impacted vanillin production in solid-state fermentation. The feruloyl-CoA hydratase/lyase (EC 4.1.2.61) and acylamidase (EC 3.5.1.4) were positively correlated with vanillin content (p ≤ 0.05) and promote the increase in vanillin content. These findings contribute to furthering our understanding of the functional microorganisms, physicochemical factors, and enzymes related to the change in vanillin content during the fermentation of Daqu and can help to further explore the flavor substances in Baijiu fermentation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased body growth and feed efficiency are important for breeding due to expensive feed costs. This study estimated the genetic parameters for two feed efficiency traits [the feed conversion ratio (FCR) and the residual feed intake (RFI)] and other important economic traits in male Hu sheep using 1642 male Hu lambs. The heritability of the RFI was estimated at 0.31 (±0.10)–0.54 (±0.1) and the heritability of the FCR was 0.05 (±0.07)–0.77 (±0.12). There was a negative genetic correlation between rib-eye muscle area traits and RFI. A positive genetic correlation was found between fat deposition traits and feed efficiency traits. The digestive tract weight decreased with the direction of RFI: however, the FCR showed the opposite: A low FCR was accompanied by a high digestive tract weight. The genetic correlation between feed efficiency (RFI and FCR) and rumen weight was negative. Heritability estimates for feed efficiency generate fluctuations with different experimental intervals. The weight of other traits should be reasonably allocated to avoid losses in production and feed efficiency in the selection of feed efficiency traits. The present study added to our understanding of the genetic parameters of sheep under the condition of house feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of OSMR and GHR genes polymorphisms on growth traits in sheep. The single nucleotide polymorphisms of sheep OSMR and GHR genes were identified by DNA sequencing technology. A total of two intronic mutations g.2443 T > C and g.170196 A > G were identified in OSMR and GHR, respectively. Correlation analysis was carried out between the obtained genotypes and the growth traits of sheep. The results showed that at the OSMR g.2443 T > C locus, the body weight, chest circumference and cannon circumference of the TT genotype sheep were significantly higher than those of the CC genotype sheep (p <.05). At the GHR g.170196 A > G locus, the body weight, body length, chest circumference and cannon circumference of the AA genotype sheep were significantly higher than those of the AG genotype and GG genotype sheep (p <.05). Moreover, the body weight of sheep of combination TTOSMR/AAGHR genotype was significantly higher than that of other combination genotypes (p <.05). Therefore, we believe that the polymorphic sites identified in the OSMR and GHR genes can be used as candidate molecular markers for breeding good traits in sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops a moderated mediation model that explores the relationship between principals' transformational leadership and older teachers' intention to delay retirement. We tested the model using a two-wave survey of data collected from a sample of 204 older teachers in primary and secondary schools in China. Our results indicate that principals' transformational leadership is positively related to older teachers' intention to delay retirement, where the relationship is mediated by organization-based self-esteem. We also found that life expectancy moderates the indirect relationship between transformational leadership, organization-based self-esteem, and older teachers' intention to delay retirement. Such an indirect relationship was stronger among old teachers with low life expectancy rather than high life expectancy. Findings enrich the literature on transformational leadership and retirement decision-making, and provide practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops a moderated mediation model that explores the relationship between principals' transformational leadership and older teachers' intention to delay retirement. We tested the model using a two-wave survey of data collected from a sample of 204 older teachers in primary and secondary schools in China. Our results indicate that principals' transformational leadership is positively related to older teachers' intention to delay retirement, where the relationship is mediated by organization-based self-esteem. We also found that life expectancy moderates the indirect relationship between transformational leadership, organization-based self-esteem, and older teachers' intention to delay retirement. Such an indirect relationship was stronger among old teachers with low life expectancy rather than high life expectancy. Findings enrich the literature on transformational leadership and retirement decision-making, and provide practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitobiose (COS2) efficiently lowers lipids in vivo and facilitates butyric acid enrichment during human fecal fermentation. However, whether COS2 can interact with butyric acid to generate a hypolipidemic effect remains unclear. This study examined the hypolipidemic mechanism of COS2 involving butyric acid, which could alleviate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The results revealed that COS2 administration modulated the β-oxidation pathway in the liver and restructured the short chain fatty acids in the fecal of ob/ob−/− mice. Moreover, the hypolipidemic effect of COS2 and its specific accumulated metabolite butyric acid was verified in sodium oleate-induced HepG2 cells. Butyric acid was more effective to reverse lipid accumulation and up-regulate β-oxidation pathway at lower concentrations. Furthermore, structural analysis suggested that butyric acid formed hydrogen bonds with key residues in hydrophilic ligand binding domains (LBDs) of PPARα and activated the transcriptional activity of the receptor. Therefore, the potential mechanism behind the lipid-lowering effect of COS2 in vivo involved restoring hepatic lipid disorders via butyric acid accumulation and liver–gut axis signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of the structural units and blending ratio on the crystallization behavior of blends of polyamide 4 (PA4) with polyamide 56 (PA56) and polyamide 11 (PA11) were studied using molecular dynamics simulations and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics. The simulation results show that the crystallinity of PA4/PA56 blends (B4/56) with a PA56 content of 30–50% was 3.5–10.8% lower than that of B4/56 with a PA56 content of 20%, and the crystallinity of PA4/PA11 blends (B4/11) decreased by 9.5% as PA11 content increased from 20% to 50%. The experimental results show that both B4/56 and B4/11 form PA4- and PA56-rich (PA11-rich) phases through crystallization-induced phase separation. The interplanar spacing of the PA4-rich phase of B4/56 changed relative to that of PA4, indicating that some PA56 entered the PA4-rich phase unit cell. As the PA56 content increased from 20% to 50%, the crystallinity of B4/56 decreased by 11.2%, and the crystallization-induced phase separation grew distinct. The B4/56 with a higher PA4 content crystallized more easily. As the PA11 content increased from 20% to 50%, the crystallinity of B4/11 decreased by 12.5%, and PA11 barely participated in the crystallization of the PA4-rich phase. The blending ratio had no significant effect on the crystallization rate and crystal-growth degree of B4/11, and the non-isothermal crystallization activation energy of B4/11 was significantly higher than that of B4/56, indicating that the crystallization ability of the B4/11 blend system is worse. This study provides a theoretical basis for the design and performance regulation of PA4-based polyamide blends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to establish a self‐equilibrium configuration is vital for further kinematics and dynamics analyses of tensegrity mechanism. In this study, for investigating tensegrity form‐finding problems, a concise and efficient dynamic relaxation‐noise tolerant zeroing neural network (DR‐NTZNN) form‐finding algorithm is established through analysing the physical properties of tensegrity structures. In addition, the non‐linear constrained optimisation problem which transformed from the form‐finding problem is solved by a sequential quadratic programming algorithm. Moreover, the noise may produce in the form‐finding process that includes the round‐off errors which are brought by the approximate matrix and restart point calculating course, disturbance caused by external force and manufacturing error when constructing a tensegrity structure. Hence, for the purpose of suppressing the noise, a noise tolerant zeroing neural network is presented to solve the search direction, which can endow the anti‐noise capability to the form‐finding model and enhance the calculation capability. Besides, the dynamic relaxation method is contributed to seek the nodal coordinates rapidly when the search direction is acquired. The numerical results show the form‐finding model has a huge capability for high‐dimensional free form cable‐strut mechanisms with complicated topology. Eventually, comparing with other existing form‐finding methods, the contrast simulations reveal the excellent anti‐noise performance and calculation capacity of DR‐NTZNN form‐finding algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heritable rumen microbiota is an important modulator of ruminant growth performance. However, no information exists to date on host genetics-rumen microbiota interactions and their association with phenotype in sheep. To solve this, we curated and analyzed whole-genome resequencing genotypes, 16S rumen-microbiota data, and longitudinal body weight (BW) phenotypes from 1150 sheep. Results: A variance component model indicated significant heritability of rumen microbial community diversity. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using microbial features as traits identified 411 loci-taxon significant associations (P < 10−8). We found a heritability of 39% for 180-day-old BW, while also the rumen microbiota likely played a significant role, explaining that 20% of the phenotypic variation. Microbiota-wide association studies (MWAS) and GWAS identified four marker genera (Bonferroni corrected P < 0.05) and five novel genetic variants (P < 10−8) that were significantly associated with BW. Integrative analysis identified the mediating role of marker genera in genotype influencing phenotype and unravelled that the same genetic markers have direct and indirect effects on sheep weight. Conclusions: This study reveals a reciprocal interplay among host genetic variations, the rumen microbiota and the body weight traits of sheep. The information obtained provide insights into the diverse microbiota characteristics of rumen and may help in designing precision microbiota management strategies for controlling and manipulating sheep rumen microbiota to increase productivity. FHBZi7VG9hPqSjx265vQ6e Video Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyamide 4 (PA4) is a biobased and biodegradable polyamide. The high hydrogen bond density of PA4 bestows it with a high melting point that is close to its thermal decomposition temperature, thereby limiting the melt processing of PA4. In this study, PA4 was blended with polyamide 6 (PA6) and further modified with copolyamide 4/6 (R46). The effects of composition on the crystallization behavior of the blends were studied. The results demonstrated that the binary PA4/PA6 (B46) and ternary PA4/PA6/R46 (B46/R46) blends formed two crystalline phases (PA4- and PA6-rich phases) through crystallization-induced phase separation. With increasing PA6 content, the thermal stability and crystallinity of the B46 blend increased and decreased, respectively, and the contribution of PA6 toward the crystallization of the PA4-rich phase diminished. Molecular dynamics simulations showed the molecular chain orientation of the B46 blends well. The melting points, crystallinities, and grain sizes of the B46/R46 blends were lower than those of the B46 blends. The crystallization of the PA4-rich phase was restrained by the dilution effect of molten-state PA6, and the nucleation and crystallization of the PA6-rich phase were promoted by the presence of crystallized PA4. The B46 blends with 30–40 wt% PA6 had the best mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of modern industry and the increasing scarcity of petroleum resources, bio-based polymeric materials using biomass resources as the primary raw material, with dual roles in resource conservation and low carbon, are promising alternatives to traditional petrochemicals. The efficient and low-cost preparation of terephthalic acid (TPA), 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and ethylene glycol (EG), the monomers of the bio-based polyesters polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (PEF), has attracted substantial attention. Both chemical and biocatalysis can oxidize biomass to produce bio-based monomers; however, chemical catalytic methods often require high temperatures, high pressure, and precious metal catalysts, resulting in high production costs. Compared with chemical conversion, bioconversion, with its mild reaction conditions and high selectivity, is an important development for the efficient use of biomass resources, but currently has a lower yield. In this review, we discuss and summarize strategies for the preparation of TPA, FDCA and EG and their applications, focusing mainly on biocatalytic approaches. Next, we illustrate the need to optimise the generation of efficient biocatalysts using strategies such as protein, enzyme, and metabolic engineering. Finally, the challenges and recommendations that must be addressed for each monomer's biosynthesis pathway are discussed, and an outlook for future directions and prospects is provided. This review provides theoretical guidance for developing efficient and cost-effective green manufacturing technologies for TPA, FDCA, and EG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small ruminants farming plays an important role in the livelihood of a large part of the population. Herein we aimed to analyze the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms in PRKAA2 gene on the growth-related traits of Hu sheep and Dorper sheep. The body weight and body type of 1254 sheep were measured at 80, 100, 120, 140, 160 and 180d, and 37620 phenotypic data were collected. RT-qPCR analysis was performed to test PRKAA2 gene expressed in different tissues of sheep, with the highest expression level in spleen, followed by kidney. In the present study, the PRKAA2 gene sequencing revealed one polymorphism located on Chr1 (Oar_rambouillet_v1.0), termed as chr1:32832382 G > A, and were significantly associated with growth traits of sheep (p < 0.05). The body weight, body length, chest circumference, and cannon circumference of individuals with AA genotype were significantly higher than those with the GG and GA genotypes (p < 0.05). Our findings reveal that PRKAA2 gene could be used as a marker-assisted selection to improve the growth-related traits of sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth traits are economically important traits in sheep. Improving growth rates will increase the profitability of producers. The aim of this study was to identify alleles of CD8B (encoding T-cell surface glycoprotein CD8 beta chain) that are aberrantly expressed in different tissues and to assess the effects and associations of its different genotypes on weight and size traits in sheep. Using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR arrays, expression profiling of CD8B was performed in various organs and tissues. CD8B was ubiquitously expressed, with very high expression in the lung, spleen, lymph, duodenum, and liver. One intronic mutation (chr3:62,718,030 (Oar_rambouillet_v1.0, same below) G > A) was identified using pooled DNA sequencing. Subsequently, the variants (AA, AG, and GG) were genotyped using the KASPar® PCR single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping system. The results of association analysis with body weight and body size traits in 1304 sheep showed that increases in multiple phenotypic traits correlated with the AA genotype (body weight, p < 0.05; body length, p < 0.05). Thus, SNP chr3:62,718,030 G > A is a promising molecular marker for marker-assisted selection in sheep breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to analyze the effects of polymorphisms in GP5 on blood physiological indices of 1065 sheep. The coefficients of variation of the red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin concentration (HGB), mean platelet volume (MPV), mean erythrocyte hemoglobin content (MCH), and red blood cell distribution-coefficient of variation (RDW-CV) were greater than 10%, and there was a very significant correlation between the main indices such as RBC, white blood cell, and platelet count (PLT) and most other indices (p < 0.01). qRT-PCR showed that GP5 was expressed in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, rumen, duodenum, muscle, tail fat, and lymph tissue, with significantly higher expression in the lymph. Subsequently, we detected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GP5 from group, which identified synonymous mutation g.657 T > C in the first exon of GP5. Association analysis showed significant correlations between the SNP and the physiological traits (p < 0.05), in which the RBC, neutrophilic granulocyte (NEUT) and RDW-CV values in sheep with the TC genotype and TT genotype were markedly lower than those in the CC genotype (p < 0.05). Thus, GP5 polymorphisms could be candidate biomarkers to screen blood physiological indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hu sheep is an excellent short fat-tailed breed in China. Fat deposition in Hu sheep tail affects carcass quality and consumes a lot of energy, leading to an increase in feed cost. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of HMGA1 polymorphism on tail fat weight in Hu sheep. Partial coding and non-coding sequences of HMGA1 were amplified with PCR and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of HMGA1 in 1163 Hu sheep were detected using DNA sequencing and KASPar technology. RT-qPCR analysis was performed to test HMGA1 expression in different tissues. The results showed that the expression of HMGA1 was higher in the duodenum, liver, spleen, kidney, and lung than in the heart, muscle, rumen, tail fat, and lymph. A mutation, g.5312 C > T, was detected in HMGA1; g.5312 C > T was significantly associated with tail fat weight, relative weight of tail fat (body weight), and relative weight of tail fat (carcass) (p < 0.05). The tail fat weight of the TT genotype was remarkably higher than that of the CC and TC genotypes. Therefore, HMGA1 can be used as a genetic marker for marker-assisted selection of tail fat weight in Hu sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are diverse reactions including spin-state crossing, especially the reactions catalyzed by transition metal compounds. To figure out the mechanisms of such reactions, the discussion of minimum energy intersystem crossing (MEISC) points cannot be avoided. These points may be the bottleneck of the reaction or inversely accelerate the reactions by providing a better pathway. It is of great importance to reveal their role in the reactions by computationally locating the position of the MEISC points together with the reaction pathway. However, providing a proper initial guess for the structure of the MEISC point is not as easy as that of the transition state. In this work, we extended the nudged elastic band (NEB) method for multiple spin systems, which is named the multiple spin-state NEB method, and it is successfully applied to find the MEISC points while optimizing the reaction pathway. For more precisely locating the MEISC point, a revised approach was adopted. Meanwhile, our examples also suggest that special attention should be paid to the criterion to define an image optimized as the MEISC point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ferroelectric heterostructures, the interaction between intrinsic polarization and the electric field generates a rich set of localized electrical properties. The local electric field is determined by several connected factors, including the charge distribution of individual unit cells, the interfacial electromechanical boundary conditions, and chemical composition of the interfaces. However, especially in ferroelectric perovskites, a complete description of the local electric field across micro-, nano-, and atomic-length scales is missing. Here, by applying four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D STEM) with multiple probe sizes matching the size of structural features, we directly image the electric field of polarization vortices in (PbTiO3)16/(SrTiO3)16 superlattices and reveal different electric field configurations corresponding to the atomic scale electronic ordering and the nanoscale boundary conditions. The separability of two different fields probed by 4D STEM offers the possibility to reveal how each contributes to the electronic properties of the film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of chemical recycling methods have been developed for polyamides (PAs) for green and sustainable technologies of plastic waste. However, the study of the essential mechanism of advanced thermo-chemical recycling of PAs is still lacking. To select efficient and green catalysts, a thorough understanding of the limiting factors of PAs hydrolysis reactions is necessary. Herein, to discuss the limiting factors of hydrolysis and the catalytic mechanism of common catalysts, polyamide 4 (PA4), a green and sustainable advanced polyamide, was studied. Firstly, the hydrolysis products and the degradation mechanism of PA4 were investigated. The only product is butyrolactam. Hydrolysis is characterized by both a depolymerization mechanism and a random chain scission mechanism. Secondly, the kinetic process of hydrolysis was investigated from the perspectives of molecular weight and solid product mass ( E α M v = 15.87 kJ / mol , E α (R sr , 1) = 44.87 kJ / mol , E α (R sr , 2) = 89.71 kJ / mol ). Finally, the existence of phase separation near the polymer chains was verified both experimentally and by molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, the extremely high correlation (r = 0.95, p < 0.05) between the molecular diffusion rate and the hydrolysis rate under certain reaction conditions explained the catalytic mechanism of common catalysts. Compared with the proton concentration in the system, the mass transfer efficiency in polymer chain cages is a more essential restricting factor. This mechanism is available to all PAs and provides a theoretical support for the selection of green catalysts for polyamide hydrolysis, which will greatly promote the application of chemical recycling technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of lung cancer (LC) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients is dozens of times higher than that in patients without COPD. Elevated activity of nuclear factor-k-gene binding (NF-κB) was found in lung tissue of patients with COPD, and the continuous activation of NF-κB is observed in both malignant transformation and tumor progression of LC, suggesting that NF-κB and its regulators may play a key role in the progression of LC in COPD patients. Here, we report for the first time that a key long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-ICL involved in the regulation of NF-κB activity in LC tissues of COPD patients. The analyses showed that the expression of ICL significantly decreased in LC tissues of LC patients with COPD than that in LC tissues of LC patients without COPD. Functional experiments in vitro showed that exogenous ICL only significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration in primary tumor cells of LC patients with COPD compared to LC patients without COPD. Mechanism studies have shown that ICL could suppress the activation of NF-κB by blocking the hsa-miR19-3p/NKRF/NF-κB pathway as a microRNA sponge. Furthermore, In vivo experiments showed that exogenous ICL effectively inhibited the growth of patient-derived subcutaneous tumor xenografts (PDX) of LC patients with COPD and significantly prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice. In a word, our study shows that the decrease of ICL is associated with an increased risk of LC in patients with COPD, ICL is not only expected to be a new therapeutic target for LC in COPD patients, but also has great potential to be used as a new marker for evaluating the occurrence, severity stratification and prognosis of LC in patients with COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pr0.6(Sr1-xKx)0.4MnO3 polycrystalline ceramics (PSKMO, 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.25) were fabricated via using sol–gel method. The structure of PSKMO ceramics was identified to be the orthorhombic structure with Pnma space group. As K-concentration (x) rose, grain sizes increased significantly. The constituent elements of PSKMO ceramics were uniformly distributed on the surface. From the resistivity dependence of temperature (ρ-T) curves, it was clear that resistivity rose with the increase of K-concentration. Notably, the peak temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) and temperature (Tk) decreased as x rose in this study. This result was attributed to the disorder of cation size on A-site ( σ 2 ), which induced lattice strain leading to the random displacement of O2− ions. Further, it led to the distortion of MnO6 octahedron that promoted the localization of electrons, thereby reducing Tk. Moreover, the maximum value of TCR reached 7.60% K−1 at 299.31 K (for x = 0.15). This result suggested that the Pr0.6(Sr0.85K0.15)0.4MnO3 ceramic was befitting for application in advanced uncooled infrared bolometers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]